This, my friends, is rock bottom. I cannot believe it can get any worse than this.
Richard Durrett has an item about Nolan Ryan wanting to avoid any "knee-jerk" reactions, with Ryan saying that he's talking some with Ron Washington, but leaves that mostly to Jon Daniels, saying that there is a "chain of command" that he wants to respect.
Maybe I'm knee-jerking. I don't go into the clubhouse, I don't know what goes on behind the scenes or what the coaching staff and manager is doing on a daily basis. But quite honestly, at this point, I'm ready for some knee-jerking. Watching this team play, two seasons in a row, in such a clownshoes manner, I've got to feel that this is on the manager.
Ben Broussard, Washington's big find, the guy he had to have this offseason, falling on his face doesn't help. But you know, that's not even the thing that breaks it for me.
What I think finally pushed me over the edge was the top of the 4th last night. The Rangers are down 6-5, and the bullpen has already had to be called. It is a high-scoring game. Kenny Rogers is struggling, allowing a single and a walk. Ian Kinsler, 2 for 2 on the night, comes up.
And bunts.
That, to me, is managing scared. That, to me, says you have no faith in your team to have a big inning, to get a runner home without "manufacturing" it. Having Ian Kinsler bunt against a struggling lefty in that situation says that either you don't know what you are doing, or you feel you have to do something in order to make it look like you are doing something.
In other news...Kason Gabbard is heading to the d.l., and Scott Feldman is going to take his place.
On the plus side, Luis Mendoza's complete inability to throw a breaking ball yesterday apparently is the result of a bad shoulder that he didn't tell the team about until after the game, and that could be landing him on the d.l.